With the advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW), the need for high-speed transmission of data including video and audio has continued to increase. Moreover, in addition to the demand for higher bandwidth, there has also been an increased need for various types of services that employ different protocols. For example, certain customers (e.g., companies providing voice services) of high-speed networks want to operate on a Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) Network, which combines different data streams such that each data stream is assigned a time slot within the combined data stream. Moreover, other customers of high-speed networks may desire to transport data employing packet-based data streams, which do not have dedicated timeslots to given packets. Examples of the types of packets that can be placed into such data streams can include Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Internet Protocol (IP), Frame Relay, voice over IP and Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP).
Typically, Time Division Multiplexing (TDM)-based SONET and SDH technologies can transport this packet data traffic in today's market. While traditional TDM networks can currently carrying this packet data traffic, such networks are inefficient in their usage of bandwidth. In particular, TDM networks reserve different portions of bandwidth for usage by given customers, independent of whether such customers are transporting data traffic on that bandwidth. Moreover, the service deployment of such networks remains slow. As a result, there is a migration away from TDM networks toward a packet-based network, which is more dynamic in nature. In particular, a packet-based network only employs the portion of the bandwidth needed for its transmission. In other words, there are no fixed time slots in a packet-based network. However, TDM networks still have a place in the telecommunications network, as certain customers may demand the reservation of portions of bandwidth within the network, regardless of their usage of this bandwidth. Therefore, both TDM-based and packet-based networking are still needed in the field of telecommunications. Additionally, TDM signals and packet data are not mutually exclusive, as TDM signals can transport packets.
Disadvantageously, advantages gained through the use of packets are lost when such packets are placed into a TDM network. In particular, fixed time slots are reserved for the transporting of these packets on such a network. As a result, there is a need for network elements with the dynamic capability of adjusting to meet the different needs of customers, including those desiring a TDM data stream as well as those wanting a more efficient usage through networks employing packet streams.